


Before the Storm

by Beleriandings



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: After Zeno finds out about his power, Gen, Sibling-ish bonding, basic thunderstorm safety lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-27 23:44:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8422252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beleriandings/pseuds/Beleriandings
Summary: “You really had me worried there kid.”“…Sorry” Zeno mumbled, wiping his face with his sleeve, glad that the tears that had sprung suddenly to his eyes could plausibly be mistaken for rainwater.





	

It had been not long after that day on the battlefield, when Zeno had protected Abi; the day he had discovered what his power really meant, or gained the first inklings at least.

Even then he had never imagined what it really meant; the mere thought was laughable. Zeno’s mind had been churning with thoughts though, nameless fear, flashes of memory and foreboding as he desperately tried to rationalise it all, whilst trying to push the sensation of being cut and slashed with a sword, his blood spilling on the ground from his traitorous mind. That, along with his fears for the King, that swirled and hung heavy about the whole of the castle like roiling black and grey clouds - heavy with the promise of a storm to come - that he gazed up at even now.

He had climbed up to the palace roof, as he sometimes did on beautiful days when you could see for miles all around. It was a stormy night though; the others were all inside, he thought, as was nearly everyone else in the palace save for the guards on duty on the walls, clustering about the burning braziers for warmth.

Zeno doubted that anyone would look for him, and that was what he wanted right now, what he needed. The thunder had rumbled far off, but it was getting closer, by the way the wind was blowing. It just beginning to spit with rain as he stared out into the gathering darkness, smelling the storm scent in the air, feeling its heaviness.

A flash of lightning, far off; he blinked in its sudden dazzling brightness still. How odd that his body still maintained the little motions meant to protect him, he had thought. He could probably survive a lightning strike directly, he had realised then, but he still blinked reflexively at its sharp blue-white brightness far away.

He stared in dazed fascination for a while, as the storm got closer and closer, the rain flattening down his hair to his head.

“Zeno! Damn it, what in all hells do you think you’re doing out here?”

Zeno’s head snapped around, the sharp voice from behind startling him, making him flinch so hard he would perhaps have lost his balance and fallen from the wet tiles of the roof, if it had not been for the sudden, sure grip on his arm.

A moment later he was looking up into Shuten’s face, teeth gritted in nervous fury, dark purple eyes narrowed against the rain and the cold wind.

“Ryokuryuu…”

“Kid, what are you thinking, huh? Do you want to die?”

Zeno shook his head mutely, still a little dazed.

“Are you an idiot? You would have fallen just now, if I hadn’t been there to grab you. You’re the tallest thing around, you could easily get hit by lightning - ”

“I’m not the tallest thing around now” Zeno pointed out, without really knowing what he was saying. “You are.”

Shuten cuffed the side of his head at that; lightly enough not to hurt, but Zeno knew him well enough to see the frustration behind it. “Only because I’m here to get you down.”

“How did you know…”

“The others noticed you were missing and I said I would… ah… I got put on rescue duty, of course. How d'you think? Also, I can sense your presence, so it was fairly obvious. Now come on, before we both get killed.”

Zeno nodded then, letting Shuten lift him, pull him onto his back. As his brother jumped into the air, Zeno squeezed his eyes shut, burying his face in the thick folds of the gathered hood of Shuten’s cloak, clinging on as he felt the cold wind tug at his damp hair.

When they landed neatly on the ground, the speed with which Shuten dropped him on his feet made Zeno worry for a moment that Shuten might really be angry with him, but after a moment his fears were put to rest as Shuten spun around and pulled him into a tight, rough hug, his chin coming down to rest on the top of Zeno’s head as the rain now pelted down all around.

“You really had me worried there kid.”

“…Sorry” Zeno mumbled, wiping his face with his sleeve, glad that the tears that had sprung suddenly to his eyes could plausibly be mistaken for rainwater. 

“Just… be more careful next time. Only an idiot stands in the highest place around in a storm. You should be glad Seiryuu spotted you and I could come to get you down, before the storm came too close.”

“Yes” said Zeno, as a flash of lightning lit the sky above him. He looked back at Shuten, with a tentative smile. “I _am_ glad you did.”

Shuten ruffled Zeno’s wet hair. “Come on. Let’s go inside before we both freeze to death.”


End file.
